Trickster's Play
by Econotastic
Summary: Bound to the whims of Tzeentch, the Chaos God of Change, the Changeling enacts it's master's wishes for sowing chaos and discord amongst all beings throughout the many war torn realms. Come watch as one of those wishes comes to fruition.


Atop a lonely plateau in the World's Edge Mountains a battle raged. On one side the forces of Aldin Bitterbeard, ranger, miner and Thane. While on the other Gizlic Boilear the Bony, Warboss of the Rotten Tooth tribe, drove his tribe and Ungrac Swordchomper's mercenary force of ogres forward. All the result of the Changeling's meddling.

It had been a long bloody series of events that had lead up to the battle but the Changeling regarded the whole thing like a play.

It had chosen Aldin and Gizlic to be the leads then kicked off the first act by taking the form of a goblin wolf rider and informing Gizlic of Aldin's force headed out of the mountains to assist an Empire noble. Causing Aldin to swear a grudge against Gizlic to hunt down the goblin and any other of it's kind he encountered down for stopping him from providing aide to a sworn ally.

The second had stretched across several years of skirmishes, ambushes and running battles as Aldin's forces made a menace of them as they weakened the Rotten Tooth tribe. Gizlic's response had been instinctive as he frantically tried to hunt the dwarves down while also maintaining his control of the surrounding goblin tribes. The highlights of which included an engineered rockslide, squigs hidden in stolen ale barrels and a band of slayers being dropped from gyrocopters on to shaman riding a giant.

And as amusing as it had been the final act had finally come when the Changeling had noticed Ungrac's group entering the area. Deciding another lead could only improve things it had led the ogres into the Gizlic had been camped by becoming a large mutated cave beast. From there it had convinced Gizlic to hire the ogres and the ogres not to eat the goblins now that the cave beast had disappeared.

The following weeks were not kind to Aldin or his men as the two leaders dogged the dwarves no matter what they tried. But as the greenskins and ogres pursued the dwarves the Changeling had made sure relationship between Gizlic and Ungrac deteriorated to nearly they were nearly at each other's throats. So that even as they forced slowly Aldin's fighters out of the tunnels ogres and goblins were falling to very unfortunate 'accidents'.

Extremely pleased with it's work thus far the Changeling had taken the form of Gizlic's own Giant Cave squig Maula in preparation for the climax as the dwarves were forced out onto the plateau.

"Gett'em ya slug lickers!" Screamed Gizlic as he and the band of squig hoppers he was leading snapped and bite at the mass of goblins warriors in front of them to 'encourage' them to continue to attack the dwarves.

The Gizlic's strategy was a simple one. The dwarves backs were trapped on the plateau with the only way to escape either break through the greenskin horde or jump off the edge. So all he had to do was drive wave after wave of his forces at dwarves until either they were exhausted and overwhelmed or they push them off the edge. Meanwhile the ogres filled any holes that appeared in his lines, and spread them out so that killing them after the battle would be easier.

Of course the dwarves were not playing along. For the last two hours the dwarves hadn't budged. Their shield wall seemed rock solid and anything that came in range quickly fell to their axes and hammers. That said the sheer number of goblins coming at them meant that when the goblins had pushed forward the dwarves had found themselves sliding backwards.

The Changeling smiled, exposing enough teeth to give a Fleshhound pause, that the dwarves were doing their part so well. As now it was finally time for the climax as the goblins unwillingly moved towards the dwarves and finally brought it and the rest of squig hoppers were in range of the ogres.

Giving out a loud belch to gain the attention of the other squigs as it moved forward, seemingly at Gizlic's urging, the Changeling followed it by a rumbling bark to communicate it's intentions to the group. A short series snarls signaled their willingness and as one they moved from a slow walk to running. As they approached the mass of goblin warriors they did a short jump that brought them just behind the rearmost goblins. Then they squatted down, flexing their deceptively powerful legs, as they prepared to jump to the Changeling's target despite the fact that Gizlic and the other goblin riders desperate attempts tried to stop their mounts as they noticed what they were trying to do.

"No, stop! Don't hop! Walk ya stupid fing!" begged Gizlic, his panic causing his already high nasally voice to reach an ear wincing screech. "Stoooooooop!"

Resulting in Gizlic's attempted command temporarily rising above the clash of weapons, battle cries and screams of the other riders as the group leapt. The Changeling would have rolled about laughing if it were possible as amazed and confused goblins, ogres and even a few dwarves watched the fungoid creatures with their shrieking riders fly through the air.

Then with surprising grace for a creature that looked like a fleshy red boulder with Changeling landed and lunged forward, tooth stuffed maw open as wide as possible. This action was mirrored by the rest of the group and resulted in a whole new sound drowning out the noise of battle. The sound of almost a dozen ogres howling in pain as squigs took a bite out of their arses.

"That does it!" roared the deep gravelly voice of Ungrac. Slamming his gut plate into the dwarves he was fighting to stun them before turning around to face Gizlic. "I've had it with you lying little gobnar turds! The deals off! Kill the backstabbin cave rats!"

And with that chaos erupted as the ogres, and the dwarves realizing what was happening, began laying into the goblins.

Gizlic, and indeed most of the goblins on the plateau were momentarily stupefied as their minds processed this sudden change of events. And unfortunately for Gizlic that was all Ungrac needed. The massive ogre drove his iron fist into the Warboss's gut before smacking off him right off the back of the Changeling with his club and into the now panicking throng of goblins.

"Da boss is dead!" was the cry that arose from where Gizlic landed and even if it wasn't immediately true it was a moment later. As the horde lost it's nerve entirely and Gizlic was crushed under the feet of hundreds of his fleeing tribesmen.

And during the confusion no one noticed as a certain giant cave squig vanished from sight. The large red smooth skinned fungus monster swirled and shifted as it reappeared in the twisting aether of the Warp. Cackling at it's handiwork the squig body reformed to become a long hooded dark blue shrouding cloak. The hood rose up as darkness filled its interior as long spindly pale blue skinned blue arms reached out the sides.

 _Excellent work my Changeling as always_ , came a voice that moved through the shapeshifting daemon like waves in a pond and felt like cobwebs on bare skin. Tzeentch, it's god and master, holder of the memory of it's original shape and the one thing it wanted above all else. _Such a wonderfully amusing performance from beginning to end, truly some of your best work._

"What is my next task? Oh great Changer of Ways?" it asked in voice made up of a furious ratling, patient Scar Veteran and grumbling grox. Hoping, longing to hear the words it knew it would never hear. That there was nothing else and that for it's hard and dutiful work Tzeentch would finally show it's original form.

 _That I will leave to you_ , it was a response it had not expected. One that set it's mind a whirl with possibilities, as so very rarely was the Changeling given time to do something it wanted instead of playing out it's master's whims. _I am busy at this instant. A certain Farseer and human General are being… difficult._

"I shall not disappoint." said a weeping Celestian and venomous dark elf witch. But even as it did it knew, and felt, that the gaze and voice of Tzeentch had moved on to other beings.

A flick of one of it's hands made portals the size of dinner plates form in the constantly moving ocean of multi-colored energy that was the Warp. In each of the portals were beings going about their existences. And each one offered an equally delightful opportunity to cause discord and chaos in the near future.

The Winter Solstice Mass on the shrine world of Feroir, a disruption in the right place could destabilize the whole the thing. The rudder of a Black Ark was undergoing repairs, perhaps a fellow worker with a few bottles of wine might cause some 'minor' damage to be overlooked? Or perhaps something as simple as hiding Nurglings in perfume bottles and dropping them as a gift at Slaenesh Daemon Prince Sense Party then watching the sparks fly.

But which one to pick?

Author's Note: My first try at a Warhammer story, I reworked it a bit as well. So how did I do?


End file.
